Fort Worth, 1971.

A VERY interesting consist, to say the least!

(no info available on this photo)

Photo courtesy of fallenflags.org)

E8M, this train is the Texas Chief (not sure if it's northbound or southbound, and both trains passed through Fort Worth at midday). For some reason, Santa Fe chose to have the Big Domes follow right behind the Hi-Level Chair Cars. That decision all but obliterated forward visibility from those magnificent Domes. I've always wished that they had thought to at least splice the Diner in between. To me, looking through a layer of soot from the Diner's chimney would still have been preferable to staring at a blank wall.

The last car looks like some sort of instrumentation car? That Heavyweight may be full of engineering types, or else it could be an equipment move of some sort. At any rate, it is an interesting consist!

Re: SF varnish power to Amtrak/Recalling the "Super C"

« Reply #25 on: Mar 12th, 2017, 6:02pm »

E8M, this train is the Texas Chief (not sure if it's northbound or southbound, and both trains passed through Fort Worth at midday). For some reason, Santa Fe chose to have the Big Domes follow right behind the Hi-Level Chair Cars. That decision all but obliterated forward visibility from those magnificent Domes. I've always wished that they had thought to at least splice the Diner in between. To me, looking through a layer of soot from the Diner's chimney would still have been preferable to staring at a blank wall.

The last car looks like some sort of instrumentation car? That Heavyweight may be full of engineering types, or else it could be an equipment move of some sort. At any rate, it is an interesting consist!

Regards,

Norm

Norm:

I was thinking about the same thing, regarding the heavyweight; I was thinking perhaps it was either some sort of inspection/instruction car, or carrying company bigwigs to/from a meeting or inspection tour.

« Last Edit: Mar 13th, 2017, 2:06am by Arnine »

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Re: SF varnish power to Amtrak/Recalling the "Super C"

« Reply #31 on: Mar 13th, 2017, 1:02pm »

Just for comparative purposes, I went to my Official Guide for October 1956. Granted, this was a good ten years before the Super C, but most through operations were pretty well Dieselized by then, and I suspect not that much had changed between 1956 and 1966.

One cool thing about the Official Guide is that some railroads advertised their fast freight schedules.

Here are some examples from Missouri Pacific, including guaranteed connections with other railroads (remember, these are the "hotshot" schedules-- the running times that were designed to attract shippers):

West Coast cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco were also shown, but only a symbol was shown in the time column, meaning that arrival time could not be guaranteed.

In the railroads' defense, these schedules were available to all shippers, and some freight cars still had friction bearings (a few of these types of cars even had speed restrictions, and the whole train had to move as slowly as its most fragile car.)

I believe it was TRAINS Magazine that once ran an article complaining that boxcars sometimes took a month to cross the country (and were sometimes simply "misplaced" in classification yards until who knows when).

Against this backdrop, the Super C's promise of "We'll have it in L.A. for you the day after tomorrow." must have seemed almost like science fiction.

« Last Edit: Mar 13th, 2017, 1:04pm by Norm_Anderson »

Logged

Re: SF varnish power to Amtrak/Recalling the "Super C"

« Reply #32 on: Mar 13th, 2017, 2:13pm »

Norm - Lodge Members -

Just when your writer thot this a topic about SFe Ol' 86. Account a somewhat balky and incorrigible in house computer, not much time to waste on otherwise so much extraneous material!

Anyway: Yes, yes! Your writer recalls much of it. At the time of Super C, prevalent truckload rates, over the road, on Westbound, CGO to West shipments? The $1,500 number would have cleared much tonnage. Compare, Super C done to please "Brown Car". It a tough customer!

SFe "via Amarillo and via La Junta". No matter how this sliced, SFe at one hundred (100) miles "handicap" compared with short Highway miles.

MOPAC times from Official Guide? Bear in mind that, on selected lanes, the line up against truly hardball competition. "The Octopus", Big, Friendly ESPEE controlled SSW (Cotton Belt). ESPEE offered its "BSM" Blue Streak Merchandise quick times between St Louis/ Memphis, and West (LAX)...

Back in another life, your writer routed car loads, Buffalo origin to the Coast. Both SSW and SFe provided quite new box cars, all on roller bearings, and Hydra Cushion feature. Capable higher speed rolling stock! Your writer also figured how to cut in MOPAC, FRISCO, ROCK ISLAND on some of the carloads. They also had much nice, new and capable rolling stock. "Northern Tier" work? Tended to favor BURLINGTON on much of it...

Re: SF varnish power to Amtrak/Recalling the "Super C"

« Reply #33 on: Mar 13th, 2017, 2:41pm »

Just for comparative purposes, I went to my Official Guide for October 1956. Granted, this was a good ten years before the Super C, but most through operations were pretty well Dieselized by then, and I suspect not that much had changed between 1956 and 1966.

One cool thing about the Official Guide is that some railroads advertised their fast freight schedules.

Here are some examples from Missouri Pacific, including guaranteed connections with other railroads (remember, these are the "hotshot" schedules-- the running times that were designed to attract shippers):

West Coast cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco were also shown, but only a symbol was shown in the time column, meaning that arrival time could not be guaranteed.

In the railroads' defense, these schedules were available to all shippers, and some freight cars still had friction bearings (a few of these types of cars even had speed restrictions, and the whole train had to move as slowly as its most fragile car.)

I believe it was TRAINS Magazine that once ran an article complaining that boxcars sometimes took a month to cross the country (and were sometimes simply "misplaced" in classification yards until who knows when).

Against this backdrop, the Super C's promise of "We'll have it in L.A. for you the day after tomorrow." must have seemed almost like science fiction.

Regards,

Norm

Norm:

Once again, I thank you for taking the time to post here some interesting facts/trivia regarding SF "fast freight" and early Amtrak operations.

IMHO, the the realm of workaday freights was far removed from the glamour and glitz of the sleek, silvery "Thoroughbreds" in SF's stable, it was indeed, a vast (and vital) network that indeed deserves to be recalled and studied today.

Re: SF varnish power to Amtrak/Recalling the "Super C"

« Reply #36 on: Mar 13th, 2017, 6:01pm »

E8M,

Thank You!!!

This is the most complete listing I have seen. And very, very useful. I had never figured out what the longer, alphabet-soup designations meant. Now it all makes sense.

Thanks again,

Norm

Norm:

You are MOST welcome, my friend!

I was lucky enough this afternoon to come across this "in depth" set of designations, and knew it was a keeper!

And, as usual, I thank you for all of your tremendous input......I certainly am able to learn quite a bit about "The Santa Fe of Yesterday" through your always-informative postings!

Looking at all these vintage, nostalgic photos of bygone Santa Fe passenger and freight operations, I can almost hear the lovely and legendary folk singer Judy Collins, wistfully warbling, "Where Have All The Warbonnets Gone"?........